Our purpose is to aid students in the application of skills learned during the traditional educational day and to transfer and reinforce that knowledge using instructional strategies, hands-on learning experiences and digital learning tools.

Timonium Elementary School Environment Day

February 22, 2017

On Friday, January 27, students, teachers, administrators and families participated in Environment Day at Timonium Elementary School (TES). The event was planned and coordinated by Hot Spots Extended Care Program Educators in conjunction with the teachers at TES, and aligned with the Green School theme that TES has stressed throughout the 2016-2017 school year.

Environment Day

TES Environment Day began with an assembly introducing the events of the day to the students. Then, throughout the day, HSECP Educators and TES teachers worked together to teach fun, engaging and informative STEM lessons about alternative sources of energy. These lessons included information about wind and solar energy, and allowed students to engage in activities that reinforced their learning.

Students in kindergarten, first and second grades learned about solar and wind energy by having the opportunity to create a solar bead bracelet and make a wind sock. Students in third, fourth and fifth grades conducted coin and battery experiments using solar energy, and participated in activities using anemometers—an instrument that measures the speed of wind.

TES Environment Day culminated with a family STEM night coordinated by the HSECP and TES Green School Focus team. There, families and students learned the importance of protecting the environment and discovered ways that they could do so through easy alternatives to daily activities.

Hot Spots Extended Care Program Partnership with Timonium Elementary School

Timonium Elementary School chose to partner with HSECP to provide students with opportunities that would extend their Environmental Literacy. At TES, being green—environmentally conscious—is an essential part of day-to-day activities and long term educational goals, not only for students, but for the community. Educators at TES firmly believe that their students help to lay the groundwork for community achievement in environmental protection initiatives.

Through TES’s partnership with HSECP and GreeNEWit, students, teachers and families had the opportunity to work together for a greater cause. Because a large emphasis of the event and ongoing initiatives are dedicated to educating students and families, those individuals will gain a deeper understanding of the need for environmental conservation efforts and as such make the vision of conserving the environment more attainable. The partnership has also allowed students to be exposed to a community of organizations, families and individuals coming together for an important cause and to achieve a greater good.

Timonium Elementary School Liaison, Jennifer Doyle, said of the partnership, “Being green is something our school believes in, so educating our community is [an] important [step in reaching that goal]. It really takes a village [to make significant change, and] teaching our students about conserving resources is the first step to educating the community [and their] families “

Timonium Elementary School Principal, Donna Scaccio, was pleased with the success of the event and excited about the opportunities that the TES/HSECP partnership has provided for her school. Mrs. Scaccio stated, “When I look back on our years together it amazes me how much [Hot Spots’] program has grown and continues to grow in terms of supporting the total school community. Hotspots is more than a before and after school program and [its] commitment to the total school community is genuine. This is evident through the support of our parent events, participation in our PTA meetings, and the ongoing relationships that [Hot Spots] creates with our teachers to support the students.”

HSECP Programs and Partnerships

Hot Spots Extended Care Programs offer elementary schools around Maryland the opportunity to further their educational and enrichment goals through our before and after-school care programs and partnerships. Our purpose is aid students in the application of skills learned during the traditional educational day and to transfer and reinforce that knowledge using instructional strategies, hands-on learning experiences and digital learning tools. HSECP also provides schools with access to partners, within the communities in which they reside, in effort to form two-way relationships that are rooted in goal alignment, effective communication and constructive group reflection.

Hot Spots applies state and county quality data to enhance program services and assess enrichment opportunities. Why? Simply stated — because we want to help students achieve. If you are interested in learning about the opportunities that HSECP can provide for your school, contact us today!